Cart mounted removable sprayer

ABSTRACT

A frame is provided with an axle having two wheels so that the frame can be pivoted between an upright and a substantially horizontal position. A carrier plate is mounted on the frame and carries a receptacle and a motor, as well as a pressure-producing unit which is removably secured to the plate and can either produce positive or negative pressure.

ilnited States Patent 1 Schlegel 51 Sept. 24, 1974 CART MOUNTED REMOVABLE SPRAYER [75] Inventor: Joachim Schlegel, Sinn, Germany [73] Assignee: W. Ernst Haas and Sohn, Sinn,

Germany 22 Filed: Feb. 8, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 330,863

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data [58] Field of Search 222/146 H, 176, 178, 182; 248/129, 130, 131, 132, 154; 15/327 R, 327 A, 327 D, 327 E; 137/344, 408; 280/4724, 47.26

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 918,512 4/1909 Cramer 222/178 1,929,195 10/1933 Upham 222/146 H X 2,626,630 1/1953 Hotton 1 137/408 2,789,756 4/1957 Allen 137/344 2,804,259 8/1957 Ralston 137/344 2,851,186 9/1958 Rupe 280/4726 X 3,494,631 2/1970 Kreider 248/129 X 3,679,161 7/1972 Husting 248/154 Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant ExaminerLarry Martin Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Michael S. Striker [5 7] ABSTRACT A frame is provided with an axle having two wheels so that the frame can be pivoted between an upright and a substantially horizontal position. A carrier plate is mounted on the frame and carries a receptacle and a motor, as well as a pressure-producing unit which is removably secured to the plate and can either produce positive or negative pressure.

5 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENIED WN 3; 37. 53s

SHEET B0! 7 CART MOUNTED REMOVABLE SPRAYER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a sprayer, and in particular to a sprayer for spraying of insecticides, cleansing fluids or preserving substances such as paint or the like.

Sprayers for these various purposes are of course already known in the art. However, they are of the type whose use is restricted to a particular application, that is they are used either for spraying paint but cannot be used for spraying insecticides or other substances, or they may spray insecticides but cannot spray paint or other substances. In other words, the versatility of these sprayers is limited and this means that for each type of spraying application a separate sprayer must be acquired and kept available. This, in consequence, necessitates the corresponding expenditures which frequently are not economically justifiable, for instance if the sprayer is to be used only infrequently.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved sprayer of the type under discussion.

More particularly it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved sprayer which is substantially more versatile than the types known from the prior art.

Still more particularly the invention aims to provide such an improved sprayer whose versatility can be significantly increased by making it possible to exchange various operating components for others, for instance to replace a pump with a ventilator, to replace a piston pump with a centrifugal pump or the like, and in which all operating components are mounted on a compact frame that can be readily moved.

In keeping with these objects, and others which will become apparent hereafter, one feature of the invention resides in a sprayer for insecticides, cleansing fluids and the like, comprising a frame, and wheel means on this frame and supporting the same for pivotal displacement between an upright and a substantially horizontal position. The carrier has a longitudinal axis and a carrier plate is mounted on the frame and extends along this axis. A receptacle is carried by the frame and the motor is fixedly secured to the plate, with a pressure-producing unit being removably secured on the plate. The unit is operatively associated with the interior of the receptacle and with the motor so as to be driven by the latter.

As will become apparent, a sprayer constructed in this manner has great versatility and can be used for many applications, such as household use, garden use and the like, for spraying of insecticides, for cleaning purposes, for spraying of fertilizer solutions, for spraying of paint, for the cleaning and maintenance of motor vehicles, for cleaning or painting of the exterior of a building, of garages, for cleaning or painting of tools, fences and the like. Also, the device can be used for drying purposes, using suction or an airblast.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention'itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a view illustrating the sprayer according to the present invention is upright position;

FIG. 2 illustrates the sprayer of F IG. I in a horizontal position;

FIG. 3 illustrates a sprayer provided with a vacuum cleaner in a vertical position;

FIG. 4 shows the sprayer of FIG. 3 in horizontal position and in a longitudinal section;

FIG. 5 illustrates the carrier plate of the sprayer with the motor installed thereon and with a pressureproducing unit in process of being installed;

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating the carrier blade with the motor and the unit thereon;

FIG. '7 shows the carrier plate in a perspective view in its position in the frame of the sprayer;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating how the sprayer can be modified for other uses;

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged detail view of a feature of FIG. 9.; and FIG. 11 is a fragmentary top-plan view of still another embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing the drawing in detail, and firstly referring to FIGS. 1-3, it will be seen that the sprayer according to the present invention is a compact unit which is readily mobile and can be used for many applications in house, garden and even industry. The sprayer can be positioned both in an upright orientation or in a horizontal orientation, further increasing its versatility. It has a frame 1 which in the drawing is illustrated as being a tubular frame, that is composed of tubular members and which is provided in the region of one end with an axle 2 at the ends of which wheels 3 are mounted.

Spaced from the axle 2 in the direction towards the other end of the frame I, and extending in parallelism with the axle 2, is a cross brace 4, which together with the axle 2 serves to support a carrier plate or mounting plate 5 which, in the illustrated embodiment, is provided at its two longitudinal sides with angle members 6. These are provided with slotted recesses 7 and 8 so that they can be hooked over the axle 2 and the cross brace 4, respectively. This means that the plate 5 can be readily secured to and released from the frame 1, with a minimum of effort, with no tools and in the shortest possible time.

It is advantageous, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 4 if the plate 5 is providgd withawallportjon 9 extending normal to it s general plane, andat whose free edge 10 there is pivotted a cover 11. This cover serves to overlie and conceal and protect the various components which are mounted on the plate 5, such as a drive motor 12 which may be an electric motor or a combustion engine and which serves to drive a pressure-producing unit 13. The term pressure-producing is intended to mean in this context that the unit may be of the type that produces a positive pressure, or a negative pressure, that is suction.

If the sprayer is to be used for actual spraying appli cations, then the unit 13 will be a pump which draws a liquid out of a receptacle 14 which is also mounted on the frame 1. The receptacle, together with the cover and the plate on which they are mounted, are located on the longitudinal axis of the frame 1 and constitute a compact unit together with the latter. The separation between the two components may be covered by a strip 15 for aesthetic and/or retaining purposes.

The receptacle I4 in the illustrated embodiment has an opening 16 for filling and emptying purposes which can be closed with a suitable cover, such as a screw-on cap or the like. A hose 17 supplies liquid from the pump 13 to a spray device 18, that is a spray nozzle.

The sprayer can be very readily modified for a different application, simply by removing the pump 13 and replacing it with a ventilator which is also driven by the motor 12 which now supplies negative pressure and draws dust into a receptacle 20 which is of the type that can be opened and which can accommodate bags such as are conventional used in vacuum cleaners, and into which dust enters.

If the sprayer is so modified, it can also be used for drying purposes, and in this case the bags accommodated in the receptacle 20 should be fluidtight so that it is possible to draw off excess liquid from a surface to be dried, which liquid then enters into the bags in the receptacle 20.

Evidently, it is possible to dry not by suction by by blowing air against a surface, after the surface has first been cleaned by spraying liquid thereon before the pump l3 used for spraying was replaced with a ventilator 13 for suction. If it is desired to supply a blast of air rather than suction, then the pump 13 need not be replaced with a ventilator.

It is desirable to facilitate the ready installation and removal of the units 13 by having the base plate 21 thereof provided with projections 22 which are for instance shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and which are provided with an offset portion which can be inserted into cutouts 23 of the plate 5. This means that the plate 21 is secured with respect to the plate 5 at one side, whereas the connection at the other side can be effected in some other manner, for instance by means of one or more screws or bolts. Abutments 24 are provided on the plate 5 in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, for the purpose of properly aligning the plate 21 with respect to the plate 5. A belt drive 25 is provided which drives the units 13 from the motor 12.

As a rule the sprayer will be provided with a hose, either leading to the spray nozzle or leading to the suction nozzle for the vacuum operations. At the reverse and/or the side of the receptacle 14 or 20 there may be provided holding members (see elements 53, 54, 55 of FIG. I) which can engage and hold the hose or hoses so that they will not be in the way, for instance when the frame is to be wheeled about. Of course, these holding devices (which may be in form of clamps or the like) may also be provided on the frame 1 itself.

The receptacle 14 may also be provided in its wall or in its interior with heating means, for instance an electrical heating device for the cleaning liquid or insectiside or whatever liquid is to be sprayed.

As the drawing shows, the plate 5, the motor I12 and the unit 13 are located forwardly of the axle 2 when the frame I is in the upright position. This makes it possible to utilize the weight of these components and also the weight of the contents of the receptacle 14 or 20 (as well as the weight of the receptacle itself) to assure reliable and staple retention of the frame in the upright position. Of course, it is necessary to provide ground engaging supports, which are here identified with reference numeral 25 and which are provided by forwardly and downwardly extending and bending portions of the frame 1, extending from the axle 2 in the forward and downward direction.

That end of the frame I which is the upper end when the frame is in its upright position, is configurated as a handle 26 and extends from the center portion 27 of the frame at an inclination rearwardly and upwardly. As FIG. 2 shows, when the frame is 'in the horizontal position this handle 26 serves as a ground support for the frame.

The unit 13 may also be replaced at will on the plate 5 with a transmission which can for instance drive one or more brushes, such as brush rollers which are intended to perform cleaning functions.

As FIG. 8 shows, frame I can also be used as a hand cart after the plate 5 and the receptacle 14 or 20 have been removed. It is merely necessary to provide a base plate 28 which in the illustrated embodiment has hooks 29 engaging the axle 2 and lugs 30 which are supported against the forward ground engaging portions 25 Such a cart can be used to transport the various components of the sprayer from one place to another, or to transport supplies required for the spraying operations, or for other purposes. elements 56, 57 serve to hold wand in place; they are slotted resilient sleeves into which the wand can be pressed. Element 58 can serve to mount a reel of hose, cable or the like.

In FIGS. 9 and 10, I have illustrated an embodiment in which the sprayer has a dishedliquid receptacle 31 which when the sprayer is not in use, serves as a hood for covering the components mounted on the plate 5. This receptacle 31 is mounted on the plate 5 or the frame II for pivot movement about a pivot axis 32. When the device is to be used, it is moved to the horizontal position shown in FIG. 9 in which case the receptacle 31 is pivoted from the broken line position through into the full line position in which latter it is balanced by a spring 33 which in the illustrated embodiment is supported against a housing 34 and a plate 35. The latter is mounted on a setting member 36 which controls a shut-off valve 37.

The plate 5 is here provided with a water inlet connection 38 by means of which it can be connected with a garden hose or the like. When the valve 37 is open, water passes via a conduit 39 into the receptacle 31 and the weight of the receptacle 31 (when the latter is filled to a preset extent) acts upon the setting member 36 so that when this preset extent is reached, the valve 37 will be closed. A suction conduit 40 supplies the liquid from the receptacle 31 to the pump 13 and from there it is supplied via the pressure conduit 41 to a spray head. A heater 52 is provided for heating the water. The construction of FIGS. 9 and 10 is particularly advantageous because it is very small and compact when it is not in use.

FIG. 11 finally shows a carrier plate 5 as which is mounted on electromotor 45. The latter drives a gear 47 via an intermediate gear 45, and gear 47 is mounted on the input shaft 48 of a transmission 49 whose output shaft 50 drives a cleaning unit the details of which are not important for the invention. The transmission is surrounded by a housing having a bottom plate which is readily removably connected with the carrier plate 5.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a sprayer, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

1. A sprayer for insecticides, cleansing fluids and the like, comprising an elongated frame having a first end portion and a second end portion which projects to one side transversely of the elongation and of the general plane of said frame; wheels on said first end portion and supporting said frame for pivotal displacement between an upright position and a substantially horizontal position in which said frame is supported by said wheels and said second end portion; a carrier plate on said frame extending longitudinally of the latter and having spaced regions formed with slots which extend longitudinally of said frame and have closed ends facing towards said second portion; projections on said frame and received in respective ones of said slots, so that said carrier plate is dismountable by sliding it until said projections exit from the respective slots; a housing on said frame and over said carrier plate, said housing having a hinged cover; a closed receptacle detachably mounted on said frame intermediate said carrier plate and said second end portion; a motor unit and a pressure-producing unit operated by the same, both mounted on said carrier plate within said housing and accessible via said hinged cover thereof; and an operative connection between said pressure-producing unit and the interior of said receptacle, said receptacle and said carrier plate with said housing, units and operative connection being detachable from said frame at the will of a user.

2. A sprayer as defined in claim 1; and further comprising heating means in said receptacle for heating the contents of the same.

3. A sprayer as defined in claim 1, said receptacle having a closure which can be opened for permitting access to'the interior of said receptacle, and wherein said receptacle is adapted to accommodate fluid-tight bag means whose interior is to be in communication with said pressure-producing unit via said operative connection.

4. A sprayer as defined in claim 1; and further comprising a nozzle element operatively connected with said receptacle.

5. A sprayer as defined in claim 1, wherein said pressure-producing unit is a suction device and produces negative pressure.

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1. A sprayer for insecticides, cleansing fluids and the like, comprising an elongated frame having a first end portion and a second end portion which projects to one side transversely of the elongation and of the general plane of said frame; wheels on said first end portion and supporting said frame for pivotal displacement between an upright pOsition and a substantially horizontal position in which said frame is supported by said wheels and said second end portion; a carrier plate on said frame extending longitudinally of the latter and having spaced regions formed with slots which extend longitudinally of said frame and have closed ends facing towards said second portion; projections on said frame and received in respective ones of said slots, so that said carrier plate is dismountable by sliding it until said projections exit from the respective slots; a housing on said frame and over said carrier plate, said housing having a hinged cover; a closed receptacle detachably mounted on said frame intermediate said carrier plate and said second end portion; a motor unit and a pressure-producing unit operated by the same, both mounted on said carrier plate within said housing and accessible via said hinged cover thereof; and an operative connection between said pressure-producing unit and the interior of said receptacle, said receptacle and said carrier plate with said housing, units and operative connection being detachable from said frame at the will of a user.
 2. A sprayer as defined in claim 1; and further comprising heating means in said receptacle for heating the contents of the same.
 3. A sprayer as defined in claim 1, said receptacle having a closure which can be opened for permitting access to the interior of said receptacle, and wherein said receptacle is adapted to accommodate fluid-tight bag means whose interior is to be in communication with said pressure-producing unit via said operative connection.
 4. A sprayer as defined in claim 1; and further comprising a nozzle element operatively connected with said receptacle.
 5. A sprayer as defined in claim 1, wherein said pressure-producing unit is a suction device and produces negative pressure. 